As I prepared my snorkel and mask, the warm breeze of the Pacific Ocean blew across the deck of the boat. We slipped into the ocean, met with a circle of pink, orange, purple and red. Corals and fish pulsate as black and brown specks on the bottom all around us. Suddenly, one of them rose up towards me, a sea cucumber rising to stare at us. This was the latest unexpected delight of my trip to Palau’s pristine seas.
And that was only the second day of my stay there Four Seasons Explorer, A newly renovated, 11-cabin ship that cruises around Palau’s more than 300 islands. This small tropical country, with a population of only 22,000, is located north of Indonesia and east of the Philippines, near the Coral Triangle. In Palau, low mountains rise from the blue sea and beneath the waves, the drama is just as evident. Among divers and snorkellers, it is regarded as a must-see destination, with crystal-clear waters, 1,500 species of fish and reefs that are among the world’s most spectacular.
Courtesy of Four Seasons
what attracted me explorer, The luxury hotel, which is operated by the company, feels like a traditional resort or a cruise ship on the turn, depending on the moment. For example, there is no fixed “departure”; Guests can check in and out any day. to reach till explorer, New arrivals are transferred, as if they were in the Maldives, by speedboat from Koror, home to Palau’s international airport. (During my five-day visit, several couples cycled by.)
But there is also a lot of roaming there. On our trip, we passed through the Rock Island Southern Lagoon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and spent a few days around the islands of Mechercher and Ngeruktabel, both of which are dotted with dive sites. Every day, we had the option to follow the Diver or Explorer program. SCUBA enthusiasts had at least two, and often more, opportunities per day with a staff marine biologist. Those on the Explorer Track had the option to snorkel or go ashore, perhaps for a guided walk through one of Palau’s many small villages or for a cultural program about traditional dancing.
While the daily itineraries were packed, they were also flexible, with ample room for modification. Say a word to cruise director Abdul Latif, and I could be whisked away for a massage, spend the day on a stand-up paddleboard, or enjoy a picnic lunch on a secluded beach. (Although there were no children aboard during my visit, Explorer Children up to eight years of age are welcome with programming tailored to their needs and interests.)
In the evening, we all gathered back in the ship’s main dining room for dinner. Satisfying options included plenty of nods to our place, including chicken satay, Vietnamese summer rolls, Indonesian stir-fried noodles and whole fish wrapped in banana leaf. As a vegetarian, I was never ignored and had lots of excellent options.
After dinner, a DJ would occasionally play slower tunes for us, but I was more excited about what the Four Seasons called After Glow. Each night, the staff will play a quick cut of video footage that the guides and crew captured during the day’s adventure – a mini-movie recap of what we saw and did. We had a chance to see a couple from San Diego swim across a World War II-era shipwreck, one of the many that dot these waters. Then came a clip of me snorkeling with thousands of (non-stinging) golden jellyfish in a lake on Marcher Island. Watching the video after another thrilling day helped to understand the fact that, like Palau Explorer It’s kind of.
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A version of this story first appeared in the October 2024 issue travel+vacation Under the heading “Just Dive In.”